Flintoff let us down: Flower

London:

Andy Flower has no qualms in admitting that Andrew Flintoff's latest indiscretion has let the team down but the England coach made it clear that it's "not the end of the world" for the talismanic all-rounder.

Asked if he felt let down after Flintoff missed the bus for the team's pre-Ashes bonding trip to the trenches near Ypres, Flower said, "Yes, (England captain) Andrew Strauss has made player responsibility a very big part of our game and we've come along very well in that regard."

Flower sought to put a lid on the episode and said, "This incident was disappointing but we've all made mistakes. It's not the end of the world for Fred to make one. But it is important to learn from it.

"More importantly, Fred knows he made a mistake. It's been handled in-house and we move on as a team," he told 'Daily Mail'.

The former Zimbabwe batting mainstay revealed punctuality was a problem with a few others as well.

"It's not the first time anyone running a team has had timekeeping issues ... Andrew Strauss as captain was supporting Andrew Flintoff. But you can't keep on stepping over the line and still expect serious support," he said.

Reminded that Ravi Bopara also forgot his passport ahead of the Belgium trip, Flower said, "Ravi's got a few things to learn about the way he organises his life, that's all. He's a great bloke and a very fine cricketer."